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Russell Schaffer, russell.schaffer@kaplan.com, 212.453.7538
Carina Wong, carina.wong@kaplan.com, 212.453.7571
New York, NY (November 10, 2010) – Beginning in July 2011, the tens of thousands of students who take the Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) every year will face that test’s first ever computer-based administration since it was introduced in 1974. The PCAT’s conversion from a pencil-and-paper format to a computer-based format makes it one of the last post-graduate admissions tests in the U.S. to go digital, following the MCAT (which converted in 2007), GMAT (converted in 1997), GRE (converted in 1992), TOEFL (1998) and a host of other pre-health tests including the DAT (Dental Admission Test) and OAT (Optometry Admission Test). Following the PCAT’s conversion next year, among major graduate level exams, only the LSAT remains a paper-based test. Although the PCAT is not widely known outside the world of pharmacy, the number of test takers in this high-earnings-potential profession (pharmacists command a median starting annual salary range of $70,000 – $110,000) has nearly tripled in the past decade – last year, more than 33,000 PCATs were administered. Currently, over 65% of American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy institutions require the PCAT for application to pharmacy degree programs, and with student pharmacist enrollments continuing to rise for nine consecutive years, this number is likely to increase.
Would-be pharmacy school students who want to take the PCAT in its current paper-based format before it changes will have one final chance to do so in January 2011. But while the PCAT’s format will change, its content, order of subtests, scoring and reporting will not. Consisting of approximately 240 multiple-choice questions broken out into five sections, the PCAT is one of the most difficult exams to prepare for as it tests basic scientific knowledge in three science subjects (physics, organic and inorganic chemistry), math skills and verbal knowledge. The exam spans approximately four hours, including one short break given in the middle.
“While computer-based exams bring advantages, such as increased number of test administrations and increased test security, some test takers find the new format a challenge since it’s so unfamiliar to them,” said Amjed Saffarini, executive director, pre-health programs, Kaplan Test Prep. In a 2005 Kaplan survey of students, 80 percent of respondents said they had never taken a college level exam on computer. “While we believe that this change represents a step forward for the PCAT in the long term and Kaplan will be fully prepared to ready students to take the new exam, we are advising students to carefully consider the pros and cons of taking the test before the change to computer.”
To give aspiring pharmacists a more in-depth look at the upcoming changes to the PCAT, on Wednesday, November 10, beginning at 7:00 PM EST, Kaplan Test Prep will be hosting a live online event, “PCAT Test Changes: An Insider’s Guide,” with Dr. Jennifer Athay, Pharm.D., director of student affairs, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. All virtual attendees need is a computer and an Internet connection. To register, visit www.kaptest.com/pcatinsider.
For more information about the PCAT’s planned 2011 changes, please contact Russell Schaffer at russell.schaffer@kaplan.com or 212.453.7538.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com), a division of Kaplan, Inc., is a premier provider of educational and career services for individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of online offerings and a complete array of books, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests, including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate school, as well as English language and professional licensing exams. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and graduate admissions consulting services.
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